Where Water Becomes Wine

Monthly Archives: February 2016

Do you like stories with pirates? If the answer is no, then you can leave and go do something else other than read the rest of this.

Have the strange people gone? Yes? Good. Well here we are then.

I wrote a book. It’s an action/adventure/mystery/romance in the theme of fantasy steampunk. Quite a mouthful right? Really it’s just a rollicking good story about our heroine Larissa, her counterpart – a reticent yet highly skilled fighter named Holt – her genius engineer friend Cid, and a cat.

The first book The Machine is where the story starts and really you need to read that before you can read book two, The Pirate. It’s available now for only $0.99 (or equivalent currency in your location), at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B43XF08.

You go read that now and come back to me here, I’ll wait…

Now that’s out of the way, you want to find out what happens next don’t you? Well lucky you. Book 2, The Pirate is out on 29th February. The same team are off on yet another adventure. Poor Larissa has a bit too much to handle on her plate, and now that she has become the Captain of the pirate airship all responsibility falls squarely on her shoulders. I do like to torture my poor characters. It’s good for them (at least that’s what I keep trying to tell them. I’m not sure they agree.)

The story is fast paced, action packed, funny in places and a compelling page-turner. There’s never a dull moment in my books because who wants to write/read dull stuff? Not me, and presumably not you either.

Here’s a little sneak peak for you:

“Set the five-minute fuse going and place the bomb in the middle cell. It’s far enough away from the furnace room that it won’t destroy the ship, and far enough away from Barton not to kill him.”

“Not wanting to slaughter your way off the ship today, huh?”

“These men are only following orders.” Holt cast a wistful glance up the stairs. “Most of them, anyway. Set the next fuse when we get to the mid-deck and leave it in the staircase so the explosion doesn’t catch any of the black powder. The last two we’ll light when we’re about to get up top. How do we get off?”

“The pirate ship is sailing aft. It’s…invisible.”

“Invisible.”

“We’ll have to jump.”

“Into thin air,” Holt said.

“It’ll be there,” she tried for reassurance as she held the bomb with the longest fuse up to a gas lamp to light it. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince Holt or herself.

“Who’s piloting?” Holt asked.

“Cid.”

Holt gave a grunt in response. It was not a grunt of approval.

“You think you can make it with those still attached?” she asked, pointing to his chains.

“Too late to worry about that now.” He nodded at the bomb.

Larissa jumped a little as she suddenly realized that the clock was ticking. She rushed to the middle of the corridor and placed the small bomb through the bars of one of the cells and chanced a quick glance at her pocket watch.

“Five minutes,” she whispered, heading back to Holt, who’s already started up the stairs. He’d collected a short-sword from the Captain and carried it in both his hands. Larissa would have doubted the ability of most men to be effective being so restricted. Holt was not like most men.

“What if we see people?” she whispered as they ascended.

“There are sixty-two men aboard. I would find it odd if we did not see anyone.”

“I mean what do we do if people see us?”

He turned back and cast an appraising glance over her. “Do not let people see you.”

Did that catch your attention? I hope so. If it did then you can order your copy here.

E.C. Jarvis is a professional bean-counter (accountant) and semi-professional word spewer (author). She once got the two confused – it was not pretty. Born, raised and currently living in England. Over the years, E.C. Jarvis has managed to accumulate a husband, a daughter, and a cat.

Hello everyone, I am E.H. Demeter, and I am so thankful for this opportunity to tell you a little bit about my debut novel, Secrets.

Secrets is the first book of The Rune Trilogy, and follows Juliet Adams on her personal journey of self-discovery and an unexpected adventure that will span oceans and continents.

When I sat down to write Secrets, I didn’t really know where it was going. I started the story off of a writing prompt from a writing group I was in at the time. The only real thing I knew was that I wanted it set in Oregon, because I miss my home state. Oregon is gorgeous, and has so much to offer. So, I knew Juliet would be from Oregon, and when Marsh, my main male character, came to be, I knew he needed to be Irish. It seemed right.

I also knew I wanted to write a paranormal romance that focused on something other than vampires and werewolves, because I felt they were overdone (even though I love them).

What drew me to Selkies was the fact that I had never read a paranormal romance involving them. In fact, when I did my research, I found there wasn’t a whole lot of lore concerning Selkies, aside from the fact that they can shed their seal skins and take on a human shape. I actually liked that there wasn’t a lot of lore, because it left plenty of room for me to create my own. Which is what I did. I choose ancient Celtic lore for the simple fact that I have always been drawn to it. Ireland has always been a magical place for me, a place that you can believe magic exists. When you’re there, it’s like you’re in another time, a fairytale land. The lore is so colorful, it truly is beautiful and magical. And I wanted to impart that into my story.

I knew from the moment I started Secrets that I wanted to publish it. I wanted it in the world, being read, being enjoyed. It’s been an amazing, and emotional journey to get to this point. The one thing that will never leave me, is that my dad was able to see me reach this accomplishment before he passed away. I made the decision to self-publish Secrets, after a lot of thought and research. There is still a part of me that would love to be picked up by a big name publisher, however, I am a bit of a control freak, so I’m not sure if it would be a good fit or not. I have a Young Adult Fantasy novel that is currently being edited, and I’m thinking about sending it out to publishing houses, just to see what would happen. It can’t hurt, and if I get all no’s, there’s always self-publishing. So, really, it’s a win-win.

Currently, I’m working on a lot. I have sequels to Secrets and Skyfall in the works, as well as revamping a love story I started a few years ago. On top of all of those, I am working on a surprise novella, as well as short stories for anthologies my writing group is putting out. So, suffice it to say, I’m a busy bee. Haha. But I love it. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

E. H. Demeter is the mother of two wacky kiddos, and she’s married to the love of her life. She lives in South Carolina, where she loves to hate the heat and miss the rain. She can almost always be found with her nose in a book and a notebook on her person. She writes in every free moment she has, and she’s been writing for as long as she can remember. It’s truly her passion, and she fuels it to the best of her ability.

Secrets, Book One of the Rune Trilogy, is her first book! Also featured in three anthologies, with promise of more coming, E.H. Demeter is certainly a worthy addition to your bookshelves.

Friends of mine are taking off by chapters and word counts, and I’m sitting here mournfully, wondering when the right concoction might cause the words to flow again.

After 13 years, SURELY my fantasy world had produced physical evidence in the real world?!

Technically, it has. I have written five books quite successfully that are so poorly executed they will never see light of day. For the best interest of anyone involved.

JP Haldenwang, a good friend of mine, has so sweetly volunteered to read a book I need to rewrite, for the beautiful sake of feedback. Is the plot worth salvaging? What parts should I drop altogether when I start over?

I am successful in my own way, I suppose. My children are fed, clothed, bathed, happy– and my proverbial children are dancing gaily in my head spinning new books ((One of which I am trying to write….)) and stories in my imagination.
Meanwhile, I work on art projects and make maps, beta read, read for reviews. As a Multi-talented artist, and a supportive friend, I seek to help further my successful writer friends in their endeavors!

How wonderful it is to watch their blogs I share be viewed, and shared, knowing they’re getting exposure to the world in whatever tiny faucet I can offer. My following is small compared to the wide world their books are apart of, but every ounce of promotion counts. Who knows how many sales I have helped them receive by sharing their books and faces on my blog!

Perhaps one day, I will finally have my own published book to join theirs.

Meanwhile, it’s the little things that count. Force yourself to write. Start small, keep a commonplace journal, but whatever you do WRITE. And don’t stop when the trickle turns to running water. Let it all out.
It’s not good for your mood, your inner peace, how you view yourself….
Blocks don’t make you a failure. They make you human.

And we are that, dear writer. Humans with evolving emotions. Our minds open and change year after year, experiencing so many new things.
Let the stories grow with you.
We all start somewhere.

“Verbs? Those are what, remind me?”
“Adverbs? I certainly never knowingly acknowledged their existence.”
“What do you mean people don’t talk like that? That’s how it sounded in my head….?”

JUST WRITE. Relish the beautiful thing you did in finishing a book. And then when you go back to read it and edit it, REMIND yourself that it is beautiful, because YOU finished it.
Now perfect and polish it until it gleams. One. Scene. At. A. Time.
We become overwhelmed when we allow the negative thoughts to tarnish our success.
Writing a book is an incredible thing.
Perfecting a book is a difficult, and still incredible thing.

Only YOU can stop YOURSELF from finishing it. So don’t.
Block out all of the noise around you, and tell your story. It is worth telling.